Chapter 1

I donate to a hospital on a regular schedule, paying for treatment for children with burns.

And somehow I'm the one trending, cursed out by the parents.

"That donor is a fake do-gooder. If he were really so kind, why won't he just clear all our bills?"

"If you ask me, he's fishing for a good name. Buying himself a reputation."

"People like him are the most disgusting, sucking blood off kids who are already hurt. It's just a little dirty money to him. If he ended up like one of these kids, he'd—"

In my last life this all happened too.

Those righteous-warrior types online, the ones who split the whole world into good and evil, tore into me. They hired a hacker and opened accounts in my name.

They reached out to rival companies and closed in on my family from every side.

I was forced to leave and lie low, but on the way out of the country someone ran me off the road on purpose. The car caught fire. I was badly burned.

And the parent livestreaming her sob story cashed in on a whole wave of new followers off the back of it.

"You reap what you sow."

"Even heaven couldn't stand a petty little con man like that donor."

Those self-appointed champions of justice were like wolves smelling a kill. During my last round of treatment, I couldn't fight off the infection, and I died.

I open my eyes again, and it's the same tired game.

I go straight onto the livestream and connect.

"Money from a scumbag can't heal anyone."

"I wouldn't want to make things even worse for you all."

The comment stream turns on me even harder.

Some say I'm being snide. Some say I'm rich and heartless.

Even my friend thinks the whole crowd is out of their minds, and yet he turns around and lectures me too.

"Just go back to being a rich kid. Playing the good guy isn't worth it."

I let it slide, then picked up the phone and called the head of the cleft-lip-and-palate foundation.

That same day I pulled my funding and redirected it to treatment for kids with cleft lip and palate.

Those people stared at their treatment costs shooting up, dumbstruck.

They went live to apologize, begging me for money.

...

"He's nothing but a con man fishing for a name. Do you really believe he donates out of the goodness of his heart?"

"He just wants the tax write-off. He gives us ten bucks and saves himself tens of thousands."

I tapped into the livestream my friend had shared with me.

Louise Mason. Her name was on the treatment list the doctor gave me.

The patient was her daughter, the one who'd been scalded.

Plenty of parents in the stream were speaking up for me. 【Mr. Baxter is a good man. My son got his skin graft because of his donation.】

【The man puts up millions to save people. If you're so capable, then don't use his money for your kid's treatment.】

But the comments defending me were washed away in no time by more parents piling in.

【The streamer's right. Sure, he gives a lot, but by the time it's split among all of us it's next to nothing.】

【If he were really a good man, he'd waive all our treatment fees.】

【All you people sticking up for him, you're not shills he hired, are you?】

My friend messaged me, half amused.

"Bro, is this the farmer and the snake or what?"

"You still going to donate that money? If it comes to it, we could just take it and go have some fun."

"Beats helping a pack of ungrateful animals, anyway."

I didn't reply. I just tapped into the live connection.

Louise wiped her tears and gave the camera a gentle little smile.

"Someone's connecting here. Probably one of the parents."

"If it's just me saying it, you might have your doubts, so let's have more people speak up."

The connection went through in a second.

I'd put a voice filter on myself, and I cut straight through her flattery.

"This parent has a point. That donor is nothing but a scumbag."

"I imagine none of you would want to keep using his money for treatment either."

Louise froze, her voice going a little frantic.

"Sir, that's not what I said."

She didn't say another word, but the crowd she'd whipped up kept flooding the comments.

【We don't want a scumbag's money.】

【If you want our kids to keep getting treatment, then he has to settle the rest of our bills too. He wants a good name? Then pay up.】

I glanced at the comments and spoke, mild as anything.

"So that's what you all think."

"In that case."

"Then let's just get him to stop donating. As it happens, I have his contact."

"I'll make sure he keeps that dirty money to himself, so it never has to offend you again."